Otherworldy
by dinorap19
Summary: Three teenagers from our world find themselves flung into a different dimension, and they are to aid another group travelling the dimensions in order to return safely.
1. Unexpected Departure

**Author's Notes:** Hey everybody! Here's my latest fic. Two of my classmates have agreed to lend me their personas for the 2 other OCs in this story, but I had to give the characters their own names and not use my classmates' names. True to my word, I have named them Theodora and Manda. If the 2 of you are reading this, don't complain on my choice of name, it was difficult for me okay. Enjoy the story…

**Disclaimer:** This thing only appears once throughout any of my stories, and that is in the first chapter. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle belongs to CLAMP. End of story.

* * *

**Otherworldly**

**Chapitre 1: Unexpected Departure**

"What the hell!"

"What's going on?"

"Don't ask me!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Hey, let go of me!"

It was then that the trio was tossed out of the void between space and time. The ground on which they landed was soft and muddy, as if it had rained very recently. None of this mattered to them of course, especially after what had just happened. No, what should not have happened. It was impossible. What happened to them should not have been possible, could it?

"Hmm… Now who are you three?"

* * *

It was dark, very dark. Rain had been falling for several days and the threat of flooding caused several schools to close temporarily. For a certain student, however, the rain would not stop him from going to school. This was not his choosing, but that of the school. It was not in danger of flooding and therefore, stayed open. Normally, he would have started cursing; wishing that his school had closed down too, as would any student, but this was not the case. He was deep in thought, a troubled mind trying to find solace. So much so that having to going to school was the least of his concern.

Several days ago he had received a picture via e-mail. He couldn't tell what it was, the picture was not complete; it looked as if two thirds of the picture were erased and only a third of it made its way to him. He deleted it soon after as there was no sender e-mail and since the picture made no sense whatsoever. Then, someone sent it again, almost immediately after he deleted the first one! He deleted that one too, but someone sent another one! It kept happening over and over again and then, he stopped, trembling in fear. Someone, or something, wanted him to get that picture and was making sure he didn't get rid of it, but who… or what… was doing this? Why?

"Hey, Farhan, are you all right?"

"Huh?"

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that he had already walked into the classroom. Aside from him, only two other people were there, both of them were girls. One of them, Manda, had been his friend since day one. She had long billowing black hair that reached her waist with a small butterfly shaped hair clip in it. Her hazel brown eyes always had an empty, lonely feeling to them, but her cheerful, hyperactive personality managed to divert the attention of others away from them, almost as if she didn't want anyone to know. She kept looking at him in an inquisitive manner, as if trying to force some sort of confession out of him for a crime he hadn't committed.

He certainly looked like someone who had recently broken out of prison. It was apparent that he had had very little sleep as his eyes, which were usually black, were now blood red and his medium length black hair was as unkempt as always. It all added to the _I-escaped-from-prison-and-have-been-living-outdoors-since-then _look. He took off his glasses and wiped them dry. The heavy downpour outside had nearly blinded him and he was starting to wonder how in the world he had even managed to leave his house. Manda was still examining him like he was an alien of some sort.

The other girl, Theodora, was someone he had made friends with several weeks back. She didn't speak to him at all before then, even though they were in the same class. Even now, although she had started talking to him, and even traded manga with him, she spoke very little. She was reading a manga quietly a corner of the room. He couldn't see clearly, mainly because Manda's face continually blocked his view, but he could have sworn that her nose was 6 centimetres away from the page. She had shoulder length brown hair which she wore in a ponytail and her deep, blue eyes were as calm as the still waters of a lake. She looked up from her book and gave a small wave. He returned the greeting, but she had already gone back to her book.

* * *

"Hey, are you absolutely sure there are lessons going on today?" he asked.

"I guess so," Manda replied.

"You're always guessing. Can't you ever like, answer with a 'yes' or a 'no'?" he told her.

"I guess I could…" she replied.

"Never mind…" he said, "It's been over two hours. I don't think anyone's coming in this weather…"

Then, the lights in the room started to flicker and eventually, they were plunged into darkness. The three of them gathered near the windows facing outside, where there was some light. Manda made it there unscathed, but Farhan tripped over a few chairs and Theodora had dropped her manga in the darkness somewhere. The lights came back on after a few moments and they set about arranging the classroom back into its former state before the blackout. Farhan found Theodora's manga behind the teacher's desk and gave a very audible gasp.

"Um… Farhan… what's wrong?" Theodora asked him.

He showed her the final page of her manga. A picture of some sort was visible, two thirds of which were missing. Her jaw dropped slightly. He took it that she had never realised that the picture was there, until she started shaking her head in disbelief and kept repeating, "No… not again…"

"Wait, you mean you've seen this before?" he asked her.

"It's been appearing in all my manga. I don't know what's going on…" she said.

Manda made her way over to them and when she saw the picture, she was as surprised as the other two were. She too, had a piece of the picture, finding it on a rolled up piece of paper in her pencil case. Farhan told them about his piece of the picture and how he had received it by e-mail. He fished the printout from his pocket and tore the last page of Theodora's manga out, much to her dismay. He fitted the three pieces together, hoping that somehow they were different, that it was just a coincidence, but the pieces fit perfectly. The picture was an insignia of some sort, a symbol which was somehow familiar to the three of them.

"What the hell is going on here?" Farhan asked.

"Don't look at me, I didn't do anything!" Manda said.

"Um… I think I know what this is…" Theodora said.

The lights vanished again, but this time, it was different. Everything was swallowed up in the darkness, even the raging torrent outside.

* * *

"What the hell!" Farhan bellowed.

"What's going on?" Theodora asked

"Don't ask me!" Farhan shouted.

"I don't want to die!" Manda screamed.

"Hey, let go of me!" Farhan said.

They then fell for what seemed an eternity, through a void before landing, hard, on wet, muddy ground. Farhan was nearly knocked out because the other two had landed on top of him. A voice nearby asked who they were. Theodora and Manda got up; allowing Farhan to, at last, look up at the person who asked the question. He saw her face and his jaw went slack. She was a woman, dressed in black, with long black hair, maroon eyes and reeked of alcohol. The three of them couldn't believe their eyes, standing before them was…

* * *

"Yuko?" Theodora said out loud, "You're Yuko aren't you? The dimensional witch!"

"You mean the Yuko from Tsubasa Chronicle and xxxHOLIC?" Manda whispered.

"Yes, I am," Yuko replied, apparently not having heard what Manda whispered to Theodora.

"Wait a second!" Farhan said, "How can you be here, in front of us, right now? You're not real! You shouldn't even exist!"

"Oh? Really?" Yuko replied, smiling slightly.

She walked over to him and cupped her right hand under his chin. She then asked if a woman's touch was proof of life, that she wasn't a pigment of his imagination after all. He didn't answer, he couldn't, and he was positively mortified! How could a manga character be touching him, let alone talk to him? He looked over to Manda and Theodora, who looked almost as baffled as he was. Yuko started stroking his cheek.

"Well?" she asked him, still moving her hand methodically over his face.

"You're real…" he admitted, gently pushing her hand away, "How? You're just a character from a book…"

* * *

"I see…" Yuko exclaimed.

The three of them had started a lengthy explanation chronicling how they ended up there. She invited them inside; they landed next to her house, and they continued their explanation, going on about how she was just a fictional character in a manga titled xxxHOLIC where they came from. They also included how this all seemed familiar to a certain other manga which also featured her titled Tsubasa Chronicle. They asked her if the Japan they were in now was the same Japan that they know of. She told them that the Japan they is the modern day Japan they know of, but it was still a totally different world. They then asked her if it was possible for them to return to their own dimension, without having to go all over the place as in Tsubasa Chronicle. Unfortunately, she said the answer was, "no".

"Marudashi! Morodashi!" Yuko called out, "Please come in here!"

Two girls burst into the room through the door behind Farhan, trampling him. It was a wonder how he could manage to sustain that much pain. Yuko whispered something to them and turned to talk to the three as Farhan got back up, with the help of Theodora and Manda.

"Travelling through dimensions is difficult work," Yuko said, "and very expensive as I'm sure you already know…"

The three of them knew this. Having read Tsubasa Chronicle, they knew that they needed to pay for whatever service Yuko gave them with something of equal value, nothing more, and nothing less. However, they didn't actually think something like this would happen to them and of course, had nothing of any actual value on them. The girls returned with an ornate box between them. Yuko opened the box and removed three small discs, each with the same insignia as the three pieces of paper they had assembled together. She passed each of them a piece.

"These discs will take you back, but it is not a straightforward journey," Yuko started, "You will have to travel through other dimensions to reach yours. Also, since you have foretold my future, I'll need you're help in keeping it on track."

"I have a feeling that you know this dimension in which you have landed is the dimension inside the manga," she said, "You know the sequence of events, you must ensure it goes exactly the same way, or the consequences will be dire."

"Certain things which should have happened after someone reads the manga might not occur," she said, "changing the course of time in your dimension. Something may even happen that should never have taken place at all. The group that created the me in your world may not even be manga-ka anymore."

"I can't ensure that you will stay within the boundaries of the manga," she continued, "or that you will even stay together, but whatever happens, you must endure it to move on to the next. The discs I gave you will alter their physical selves to fit your personality and they will grant you some abilities. You'll need them."

The three of them looked at the discs she had given them. They started to glow and change in shape. Theodora's disc had turned itself into a watch. Farhan's disc turned into a headband. Manda's turned into a ring with a heart etched into it. Theodora took off the watch she was already wearing and put on the one she had just received. She was going to put her watch into her pocket when Morodashi grabbed it from her. Farhan couldn't believe that he had received a headband; he wasn't the physical type. Nonetheless, he put it on and when Marudashi motioned for him to bend down, he did so. She yanked his glasses off his face. Manda put the ring on and nearly fell backwards when Morodashi pulled the hairclip out of her hair with help from Marudashi; she had brought a stool for Morodashi to stand on.

"Now then, about your fee…" Yuko said.

Manda and Theodora just stared at her with an _I'm-sorry-what-did-you-just-say_ look about them. Farhan had closed his eyes and was groping around on the floor. He eventually stood up; eyes still closed and asked Yuko…

"What about the stuff Maru and Moro took from us a while ago?" he said.

"That was the consultation fee," she replied, "You still need to pay for your wish and you really should open your eyes."

He really didn't want to. He was so near sighted that everything else he saw was so blurred out that he felt sick. For some strange reason or another, his eyes opened on their own, and he could see clearly!

"Like I said, those discs I gave you earlier would give you some abilities," she continued, "They also revert the body back into its original state. That is to say, you weren't myopic your whole life, am I right?"

Farhan nodded and went over to Manda and Theodora. Yuko continued…

"Those discs are actually seals," she said, "containing the power of the four elements. You'll all have a base element that you can already control, and as you progress in mastering that element, the others will reveal themselves to you."

"Not every dimension is as safe as this one," she continued, "and you'll need to master the skills given to you if you want to survive. Now, back to my fee…"

She walked over to Theodora.

"Your price is…" she said, "your ability to draw."

Theodora thought over that sentence for quite a while. Manda and Farhan knew that drawing was her life. She drew even better than some of the senior students and even some teachers! They thought for certain that she would ask to pay with something else, but she said, "Ok." Home was more important to her than being able to draw. Her body glowed for a moment and then went back to normal.

Yuko walked over to Manda.

"Your price…" she said, "Are your loved ones. Even if you make it back home, none of them shall remember who you are."

Manda almost cried upon hearing that sentence. What would be the point of going home if everyone you cared about and cared about you had completely forgotten about you? It was a lose-lose situation for her. Staying in Yuko's dimension would mean adapting to a completely different world. Going home, would mean losing her loved ones. Theodora consoled her while Yuko moved over to Farhan…

"Your price is…" she said, "your life."

Farhan was shocked! Even Manda and Theodora looked over at his direction. Manda had completely forgotten her despair and Theodora's eyes were wide to point her eyeballs could have popped out of their sockets!

"Wait," he said, "I thought you weren't the kind who would kill someone. Why do I have to die for this?"

"I didn't say you would die," she replied, "I said you would pay with your life. To be specific, your life force. With every dimension you travel to, a part of your life force will be taken. Maybe a few minutes, maybe a few hours, I'd never shorten someone's life uncessarily. You see, when I take a little bit if your life force, I shorten your lifespan."

"Since I said I don't kill," she continued, "and I don't plan to, I guarantee you won't die. At least, unless you travel through more dimensions that I had expected as the spell won't wear off until your journey has ended."

Farhan had dropped to his knees. The prospect of having his life shortened scared him, he was afraid of death. On top of that, there was no absolute guarantee that he would live through their quest. If he died, it would not have been by Yuko's hand. He would be to blame, for having agreed to the price. He had definitely no idea how many dimensions they had to go through and it was obvious that neither did her. Someone held onto his right hand. It was Manda. Theodora grabbed hold of his left hand.

"I'll pay my price," she told Yuko.

"Are you sure?" Farhan asked her, "What about your boyfriend, your family?"

"After hearing what you had to pay, my price seemed cheap," she told him.

"Don't worry, we'll make it out if this alive," Theodora told him, "All of us. Together."

"Hmph. I guess I have no choice then," he said, "I'll pay my price!"

"Very well then," Yuko said, "I wish you luck on the voyage ahead."

The ground below them was opening up; something was rising up from around them, a swirling mass of purple. It was also coming from the ceiling up above them. The swirling mass was about to engulf them completely, when Farhan remembered something.

"What do you plan to do with my life force?" he shouted.

"Ever heard of the fountain of youth?" she told him, smiling, "Get going. I have a customer and it seems he's had a lot of trouble with spirits."

* * *

The swirling mass had completely covered them and sank back into the floor of Yuko's shop as shouting emanated from the hallway. Whoever it was kept going on about there being a mistake and that his legs were moving on their own accord.

"Hmm… They were right after all," she thought to herself, "he has come; the boy whose name is written like the 1st of April."

* * *

The trio were travelling in a different void this time. The one they had fallen into before was completely empty, whereas the one they were in now has several hundred lights moving all around them like a tunnel of sorts. It was an amazing feat to them, for it was only something many people could only dream about. What awaited them on the other side was the beginning of their journey home… 


	2. A Fateful Meeting

**Author's Notes:** All my classmates, and some other friends, are going to make cameos, as in, they will play a part in helping the 3 main OCs, in the course of this story. Also, I'll be referencing to various other anime not under CLAMP within several chapters so…

**Disclaimer:** I'm breaking my, "one disclaimer per story" rule. Any anime/manga, videogames, movies and songs referenced in my story does NOT belong to me.

* * *

**Chapitre 2: A Fateful Meeting**

Theodora's legs finally made contact with earth. The vortex was gone, and so too were her companions. The desert sun scorched the sands beneath her feet and she walked towards the nearest sign of civilisation…

**Clow Kingdom

* * *

**

"Your Majesty, I've come here today with the latest report on the project."

"Where's the team that usually comes here with the report? Why'd you come instead?"

"Well, I…. um…"

"You weren't hoping to see my little sister did you, brat?

"N…no… no, sir!"

"Come on now Syaoran! Don't lie to me! I can see it in your eyes."

"King Touya, please!"

* * *

Theo kept walking, dehydration setting in. The city was further than she thought it was. She wondered if she was going to make it there at all. Then, she fell to the ground, unable to move. She hadn't the faintest idea why she had fallen over. She didn't feel tired and she wasn't that thirsty, yet she couldn't move a muscle. Then, everything went black…

* * *

Syaoran trudged through the desert sands, the blistering heat causing him to sweat torrents. He couldn't wait to get back to the ruins where it was much cooler. Lost in his thoughts, he forgot to look where he was going and stumbled over something. He would have rolled down the side of the sand dune and probably buried under a ton of sand if it had not been for his travelling companion who managed to grab the end of his cloak.

He got to his feet and the two of them looked back at where Syaoran stumbled. There, unconscious in the sand, laid a girl. She wore clothes that were strange to them and they believed her to be a foreigner. She was definitely heading for the city when she fell. They decided to make a U-turn and take the girl into the city.

* * *

Theo opened her eyes and realised that she was no longer out in the desert. She sat up and looked around. There was something oddly familiar about the room she was in, as if she had been there herself. She walked over to a table nearby cluttered with pieces of paper and picked one up. She recognised immediately what was drawn there…

"Ah, you're awake!"

Theo dropped the piece of paper, nearly having a heart attack. She had half a mind to hit whoever it was that said that. She turned around, and saw Syaoran, a box of medical supplies in his arms and behind him stood someone whom she felt was very familiar…

"Are you feeling all right miss? We found you out on the sand dunes, unconscious" Syaoran said.

"Oh, I'm feeling fine. Where am I?" Theo asked.

"This is my house. My name is Syaoran. I'm an archaeologist working on the ruins nearby. My companion here is…" Syaoran said

"Jonathan?" she asked.

"Well… yes. Have you two met before?" Syaoran asked.

The bespectacled boy stepped forward, saying that he had never seen her before in his life and that she might have mistaken him for someone else. Theo, however, had seen him before; he was one of her classmates back in her world. She knew what had happened in the anime and manga; there would be people in the different worlds that would resemble people that the main characters knew in their own world, but didn't expect the same thing to happen to her.

"Uh… no. I mistook him for someone else." She told them.

The sound of breaking glass outside the house caught their attention and the three of them rushed outside. Someone had just jumped out the window of a neighbouring house with a small pouch in his hands. A woman stood at the window shouting to all that she had just been burgled. The people on the streets formed human barricades and prevented the burglar from leaving the area. Desperate, he grabbed the nearest person, Theo, and held her at knifepoint.

* * *

Farhan landed with a thud. The ground was as soft as concrete, which is to say, not very. He rubbed his back and took a look around. He had landed in the middle of a village, or at least what was left of it. The houses had been set ablaze, half of them already turned to ash. Various weapons lay about the place, sticking out of the ground, the remaining buildings and the bodies that lay about the area. Looking at the buildings, he assumed that he had landed in…

**Feudal Japan

* * *

**

Kurogane sighed. Travelling through the woods on horseback as part of an escort wasn't something he enjoyed very much. He wanted desperately to slay some demons or kill some enemy ninjas, but the princess had forbidden him from slaying _anything_ unless it attacked them first. He sighed again and Soma, another ninja in the service of the princess rode next to him.

"You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You want to kill again."

"Gah! It's been god knows how long since my blade has left its sheath! I'll do anything! Even take care of a lowly thief!"

"Sigh. You know… there's a village up ahead that has been experiencing some… disturbances… lately. Maybe you should scout the area first. If you get what I mean."

* * *

At first, Farhan thought he has landed on the site of a recent battle, but when he took a closer look at the corpses, he recoiled in horror. The dead weren't soldiers; they were civilians. All around him lay the remains of an entire village, every man, woman and child, dead. Most of the corpses were missing limbs, as if a gargantuan beast had ripped them apart. All were beheaded. He wanted to leave, but his feet seemed to have taken root in the soil.

His heart was racing and suddenly, his mind was filled with visions of a massacre. He saw the village he was in as it had been a few hours ago. It was a night like any other, until a loud roar was heard from the forest nearby. The men armed themselves and the others took to hiding. He then saw gigantic creatures rush out of the darkness of the forest, rampaging through the village, setting anything they touched on fire. Their pointed fangs and hooked claws made short work of any who stood in their way. Once the men were dead, they sought out the women and the children, gathering them outside like cattle before slaughtering them. The last of them, a girl around 14 years of age, was deep in prayer when the beasts lobbed her head off. Farhan could have sworn she had looked his direction and cried as the demon took her life.

Tears were streaming down the sides of his face. He was finally able to move and realised that the girl he saw must have been the priestess of the village. She had placed a spell before her death to tell of what had happened there. He sat there for a while, lost in sorrow. For the first time in his life, he _wanted _to die. He wished for it over and over again in his head, hoping that maybe an arrow might strike him down. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the whistling of an arrow slicing its way through the air at him.

* * *

Manda struggled to stay afloat, gasping for air. When she left the void, she landed in a body of water and was completely unprepared for it. Normally, she'd be able to swim, but the bitter cold of the water numbed her muscles and every movement she made was painful and exhausting. She called out to her friends, but nobody replied. She was frightened now. Had her friends died? Did they land somewhere else, safe from harm? Was she going to die, there and then without even stepping foot on…

**Celes Country

* * *

**

Fai walked along the deserted streets of the city, sighing. It was a dead city; no signs of life anywhere, not even in the houses lining the street. He started getting goosebumps and wondered if he truly was the last one there when he heard splashing nearby. Curious, he ran towards the source of it.

* * *

"Don't move! You so much as blink and I cut her!"

Everybody kept their distance, trying to negotiate with him. They didn't want Theo hurt. Most were frightened he might actually kill her, while the others kept calm, knowing full well that he needed the hostage alive to get leverage. Theo was one of the calm ones, even though the knife was against her neck. The negotiations ended. They were going to let him pass, but he knew better than to let Theo go and simply walk away.

He used her as a human shield as he backed away from the crowd. Theo kept calm and let him drag her off. She knew that once he gets far enough from the crowd, he'll let her go and flee. The man dragged her for a short distance and pushed her against the wall of a building. The crowd watched from afar while a few crept closer, hoping to subdue him if the chance arose.

"I was going to let you go, but seeing as how I've gotten so far away from them and they're not following; give me all your valuables!"

Theo reached into her pockets, but found nothing. She could have sworn she had her wallet with her, but it wasn't there. She suddenly realised that it could have fallen out when they landed in front of Yuko's shop, or when she landed out on the sand dunes. She told him that she had nothing of value on her, but he insisted that she must be hiding something from him and slashed her arm. Theo screamed and soon, she found the knife next to her neck again. He had realised that several people were creeping up on him.

"So, we're back at square one. Well, I've still got the hostage and that means…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Theo had grabbed hold of the hand he was holding the knife in and broke his wrist. He dropped the knife and tried to flee, but she swung her leg out, tripping him. He tried to get up, but the others had already gotten hold of him and now, without a weapon and a hostage, he wasn't going anywhere. The crowed cheered and Theo couldn't believe what she had done. Had it really been her that broke his wrist and stopped him from escaping?

She looked at her hands and then the watch the Yuko gave her. It dawned on her that Yuko's magic had probably been responsible for giving her the ability to fight. The crowd scattered eventually and Syaoran walked up to her. He said that from the look of things, that she could take care of herself, though she could do with more training. He also stated that he could use someone like her at the ruins.

He explained that a lot of tomb robbers had started plundering the excavation site and that most of the people working there weren't suited to stopping them from running away with the artefacts. He offered her a job there, which she gladly accepted. She then noticed that Jonathan wasn't there and Syaoran told her that he had already gone back to the ruins and that he was going there as well. She followed him into the desert and towards the towering structure on the outskirts of the city.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"I'm Theodora. You can call me Theo."

* * *

Kurogane watched him from afar. He had ridden to the edge of the village and spotted some movement. He hid behind a tree and saw a boy walk out from behind one of the burning structures. He assumed that the boy was a survivor and stayed his blade, choosing to watch what he was going to do. Kurogane knelt down, keeping an eye on the boy, who had suddenly stopped in what was the village square. Kurogane looked behind him; he suddenly had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, also noting that his horse had disappeared. He looked back at the village and saw the boy, now sitting on the ground, tears flowing down the sides of his face and heard it; the all too familiar sound of an arrow flying through the air. He knew he wasn't the target, it was the boy.

"Run fool!"

The boy didn't run. He hadn't heard Kurogane's cry and just sat there. Kurogane got to his feet too late, the arrow rushed past the side of his face, heading straight for the boy. Time slowed down for Kurogane as he watched the arrow, enveloped in flames, sail slowly through the air at the boy. There was no hope… or so it seemed. At the last instant the boy got to his feet and grabbed the arrow out of the air.

* * *

Farhan was shocked. He had just grabbed an arrow that was going to kill him had he not moved at that moment. He wondered how on earth he did that and then came to the conclusion that it was Yuko's magic at work. He looked at the arrow. It was enveloped in flames, but he felt no heat from it. He could tell that wasn't a normal flame… it was an ethereal flame; hellfire. A demon had let loose that arrow and it was nearby.

He looked around cautiously, waiting for it to show itself. He heard footsteps heading his way and was ready when the demon jumped at him, swinging a katana covered in hellfire, the tortured screams of a thousand forsaken souls emanating from its throat. It was human in form, donning samurai armour, but several swords sticking out of the armour at odd angles confirmed the warrior within was long dead.

It held its sword parallel to the ground, ready to lunge at Farhan. He threw the arrow in his hand as hard as he could at the demon samurai, who staggered when it struck him in the face. Farhan was surprised that the arrow actually flew through the air as if he had used a bow, but immediately rushed forwards. He grabbed the katana out of the demon's hands and sliced it in two.

He heard more screams and soon, more demon samurai had arrived. All were wearing the same red armour as the one he had just slain, but one was in blue armour… and was wearing a cross belt with human heads on it. He recognised several of them from the vision he had seen. These demons were among the group of demons that had massacred the village. He tightened his grip on the flaming sword in his hand, rage building up inside him. He had made up his mind… they were all going to go back to hell!

The demons screamed in unison and he threw the katana, which sailed in an arc, decapitating all but the one in blue armour. It stepped back and raised it sword as the rest of the demons in the vision came out of the darkness; the dog sized humanoids, the reptilian spiders, the gigantic dragons and the humans with elongated claws in place of their fingers. Farhan raised his sword as they surrounded him.

He needed help… and it came in the form of Kurogane, who sliced away with ease. His sword, Ginryu, glinted against the moonlight. It was as if light itself were cutting down the spawn of darkness. Farhan struck down several demons as well and soon, they were all dead, save the blue samurai. Farhan and Kurogane walked across the battlefield strewn with bits and pieces of demon, themselves covered in demon blood. It raised it sword shakily and then turned to flee, but fell when Farhan pierced its armour with the demon sword he had been brandishing the entire battle.

The two of them gathered up as many human heads they could find and buried them together with the bodies of the villagers. They piled several stones where they buried the dead… a memorial of sorts. The princess and her escort arrived in the ruined village at daybreak. Kuro walked up to the princess and knelt down.

* * *

"Your majesty, the population of this village was wiped out yesterday. Demons had invaded, killing every last man, woman and child before setting it ablaze. I arrived too late. However, there was a boy here. He was dressed differently from what civilians usually wear and was wandering the village."

He lowered his voice from that moment so that only the princess could hear him…

"He slew the demons with me… when they returned… He has potential, but his techniques require more work. He… was able to wield demon weaponry. A normal human would have turned to dust if they had come into contact with hellfire, but he…."

"Where is this boy?"

* * *

Kurogane led her to where the village's shrine once stood. The boy was seated on the ground before it, crying silently. She knelt down beside him and spoke so that only he could hear her…

"You are not of this land are you?"

"No, your majesty, I am not."

"You are not of our religion either. Why do you seat yourself before the remains of this shrine if you do not pray to our gods?"

"The priestess here… I knew her… I…"

"You loved her didn't you? Even though you are of a different culture than her… and 3 years older as well…"

Farhan was a little shocked that she knew that much. The princess looked around them; at the remains of the slain demons…

"You fought well."

"I fought for her."

"Then, you will fight for me. If you wish to return to your world..."

"How did you…"

"I know many things and if you are to complete your quest, you have to stay near Kurogane, am I correct?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"She is still alive. This world's version of her may have passed on, but she still lives in yours."

"Thank you, your majesty."

"Please, call me Princess Tomoyo. 'Your majesty' makes me sound so old."

"I apologise, Princess."

* * *

She smiled and walked over to Kurogane, telling him that he now had a student. He argued with her for a while, but accepted his task of taking charge of the boy. They walked away and Kurogane called out for Farhan. He got to his feet and before leaving, whispered….

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you in this world… I don't want to see you die again, Ruby. I won't allow your other world selves to die. I promise… Please be there when I get back…"

* * *

"How old are you boy?"

"I'm 17…."

"What is your name?"

"Farhan, sir…"

"Hmmm…. Han… Be thankful you don't have an extra A behind your name, because then you'd be a girl. We have a lot to do once we get back to the palace… and I won't go easy on you."

* * *

Fai rushed to the edge of the city; someone… or something… was in the lake that surrounded Celes, he could hear splashing. He thought he was the only one left in that city. He'd even checked every house before. Aside from him, the only person there was…. King Ashura. He reached the water's edge and saw a girl struggling to stay afloat.

"Hang on! I'll get you out!"

He thought for a moment about what spell he could use when she went under the surface… and then got thrown out of the water straight at him. He caught her and wondered what had just happened. Had she used some sort of magic to propel herself from the lake? If so, then she needed to learn more. It was activated by accident, had she known how to use it, she wouldn't have been struggling so hard to get out of the lake.

* * *

Manda opened her eyes and saw Fai looking back at her. She gasped, poked his face and gasped again. She asked him what had happened and he told her that she got thrown out of the lake. He told her that he believed she had used magic and asked if she had any knowledge as to how to use it.

"I'm afraid I don't know how to use magic"

"Well, then you'll need a teacher. I could be of help there."

"You'll… teach me magic?"

"Of course I will, little lady. Seeing as we're the only people here after all. How'd you end up in the lake anyways?"

"I don't know. One minute I was somewhere else with my friends and then I just sort of fell into the water here."

"Hmm… teleportation… That's advanced magic. If you could do that by accident, you can do a lot of things when you know how to use it."

"Please, teach me! I want to know! When can we start?"

"Well there's no time like the present… and there's nothing else I can do around here anyways."

* * *

It is at this moment in time, simultaneously in the 3 worlds; Clow Kingdom, Feudal Japan and Celes Country, that the real tale begins… 


End file.
